


This one's for the fakes

by GeomEunSaeg



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am so proud of my babies, M/M, Post-Canon, Yoon Jeonghan is Whipped, actually they are both whipped, happy belated birthday seungcheol!, not really but i tried, seungcheol is whipped too, seventeen world domination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25853119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeomEunSaeg/pseuds/GeomEunSaeg
Summary: Seventeen is releasing their 5th full-length album and celebrating 7 years of success as a group, but all eyes are on the famous couple, General Leader Scoups and Lead Vocalist Jeonghan. As the first idol couple to come out and open up about their relationship in South Korea, what did life have in store for the young lovers as they navigate the ups and downs of the entertainment industry?
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	This one's for the fakes

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Cherry-nim! Sorry I am late by 5 days, but schoolwork was horrible!

“Let’s go through your part one line at a time, okay?”

Jeonghan gave a quick thumbs up to Jihoon as he looks the the lyrics sheet on the stand in front of him. While his lines was fairly scattered across the whole song, each no longer than a few seconds, he had to admit that he was quite nervous about his singing. It was their 5th full album after all, and Jeonghan got the “killing part” for all three courses, each sung with slight variations in pitch and key. He was worried that he couldn’t hit the right note within the two bars of melody. Did Seokmin feel this way every time they recorded new songs? He bored the responsibilities of the main vocalist well all these years, yet he would still fall into a slump upon trying to sing his most challenging parts. 

Jeonghan could only admire his tenacity, envious at his powerful voice.

Even after 9 years in the idol industry, Jeonghan always had that nagging memory at the back of his head of that time he screwed up a piece given to him in his trainee days. While Seungkwan, Seokmin, Jihoon, even then-newcomer Joshua had already sounded good, his voice could barely hold long notes, much less sing them as beautifully as the others. He was not working hard enough, they had said. Not talented enough, had too little training time as compared to the other members…

Jeonghan mentally swatted the past directors’ comments out of his head. All of that was history, and now, Seventeen was preparing to release new songs for Carats to enjoy, maybe break some records and prove to the world, once again, that they were unstoppable. Many have acknowledged their group’s hard work under the self-producing name, and each individual’s defining talents in singing, rapping and dancing. This song will take the world by storm, and Jeonghan will be one that sings that very line.

Recording went on smoothly for most parts, with Jihoon patiently giving pointers on his enunciation and tempo. Jeonghan’s voice was beginning to feel a bit dry, so he turned away from the mic to grab the plastic bottle from the floor. He heard the muffled sound of the recording studio door being opened, then closed, and murmurs of a conversation behind the glass panel. Bringing the bottle to his mouth as he stood up again, he caught sight of a familiar pair of doe eyes and a large grin directed at him.

Jeonghan scoffed and drank his water before placed the bottle back onto the floor.

Jihoon made a few notes on his paper, then spoke into the mic.

“Jeonghan-ah, for the ‘Never gonna stop loving you’ part, I find the ‘nida’ a little awkward.”

“Yeah, yeah.” 

The singer was barely listening to him as he kept his gazed on the other person who was now seated on the couch at the side. With his back turned and his hands behind his head, he looked like he was sleeping. His turn was not even up next, and he is still here, snoring away and being a nuisance.

Though… A cute one, he supposed.

“Maybe end it with a ‘ha’. And make it clearer. Anheul~ geosibnidA~ HA~” 

Jeonghan quickly broke his train of thoughts and belted out the line. 

“Go a little higher?”

Jeonghan adjusted his headset and sang the line once more.

“Dangsineul salanghaneun geoseul~ 

meomchuji anheul~ geosibnida~ ha~”

The singer could make out the muscle twitch on the resting man’s cheeks.

A few more tries later, Jihoon gave Jeonghan the green light and began preparing for Seungkwan’s part. Jeonghan slid off the headset and hung it on the stand. Taking his bottle, he left the recording booth and approached the man on the couch and prodded the bottle at his side. 

The man opened his eyes and gazed up at him. Lifting one of his hands away from his head, he reached out to move the strands of hair that were falling in front of Jeonghan’s face. That gesture alone made his legs melt.

“What are you doing here, Seungcheol? You are the last to record. You should have gone to bathe or something.”

The low growl that came out of him as he pushed himself to sit upright shocked Jeonghan into a gasp, which he immediately covered up with a cough.

_This is a harassment to my heart._

Seungcheol stared at the vocalist, who hitched his breath as he felt his insides turn to mush at the sight of his deep eyes.

_Goddamn him and his pretty eyes._

“I heard that a beautiful angel was singing here, so I came to take a look. Maybe even give him a kiss for working so hard on the title track.”

“It’s really not that much work…” 

Jeonghan very much wanted to hide his face behind his long fringe. Despite how much he complained about hair irritating him after years of having short hair, it was these times where he was grateful he had given in to his fans’ requests and grew out his hair again. He looked like how he was back in 2019. Every time he looked at the mirror, he would recall all the amazing times he had singing Hit and dancing to the entirely new concept.

“Seungkwan is late again. I’ll go look for him before Jihoonie starts stressing out.”

“Kwannie is already 25, he can deal with Jihoon himself.”

Seungcheol then stood up and walked towards him, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan’s waist.

“Besides, there is a sasaeng here who wants a little something from their ultimate bias.”

Jeonghan was glad Jihoon was too occupied with his work to hear Seungcheol’s teases. The last time they flirted in front of him for too long (2 minutes), he threw his slipper at them. But he was still worried about one thing. He glanced at the cameras that sat on the table next to Jihoon, one of which was facing them.

“Cheollie, we shouldn’t do this here. PD-nim already warned us about being too intimate on camera...”

“Who cares.”

Two words should not be enough to make Jeonghan fall even deeper in love someone, but apparently they are.

~

Seungcheol dreaded interview days. Some companies were nice and well-managed, but others were downright horrible. He just wished **some** people would not try so hard to ‘comment’ at everything he says. Life would be so much easier if he didn’t need to smile through half-joking insults hurled at his members.

Today was going to especially hard. They had been invited for an exclusive interview with Dispatch, and their manager told them to prepare responses for any questions related to Jeonghan and him. Seungcheol, while understanding of his concern, felt some annoyance boil deep inside him. They always had to be careful with Dispatch: those paparazzis just could not help but dig at every chink in the armour they had built around them and their personal lives.

Admittedly, it was partially his fault that they are coming at them now. 

That make out session in the recording studio… He hadn’t thought that that camera was being used for a live stream instead of the usual Inside Seventeen clips, so their one minute of bliss was broadcasted for literally all their fans to see, and nearly all the news companies got ahold of this clip. He did not regret it though. His time with Jeonghan was precious. He would never let these kind of things get him down, but he was 5 minutes into a lengthy lecture by the manager on the details they could talk about in camera and he was quite frankly over it.

When the manager left him with a final warning, he searched the room before his eyes landed on a ball of pale blue hair. 

It wasn’t that they never made their relationship public. They announced it on V-live last year and while both Big Hit and Pledis were infuriated at their impulsive choice, majority of the fans, even those from other groups were accepting. Even excited. They were let off the hook once they had done their part to clear the air with various news companies, but Dispatch always seemed to keep a startlingly close eye on them.

When the time came, all 13 of them huddled their way to the rows of stools in front of the cameras. They each took their respective seats and expectedly, Jeonghan was assigned to be seated next to him, right at the side closest to the interviewer.

The younger members were chatting animatedly behind him, a clear attempt to lighten up the nervous aura that everyone carried. He was thankful that they were all matured enough to help ease the situation for them. Even before the interview started, he could see that all the cameras were turned on and focused on the duo’s every move.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Seungcheol turned to face Jeonghan, who wore his on-stage smile.

“Are you reassuring me, or yourself?”

“Don’t tease me. I may be the one that **looks** worried, but you are probably more troubled by this than me.”

It takes everything in him not to remind his boyfriend that he heard him reciting appropriate replies for 15 minutes back in the dressing room. But Seungcheol has self-control, as a leader and as a boyfriend worried for his love.

As expected, when the interview started, the lady asked them mostly about their newly released album and the meaning behind its concept and song choice. The members answered perfectly, doing their best to encourage more questions on their music rather than the elephant in the room. They offered to dance to a snippet of their title track, and joked about the many accidents during preparation, but the inevitable was still to come.

“Scoups, Jeonghan-ssi, I presume you saw the video of you two kissing in the recording studio. Fans are all crazy about the clip! You guys look hot in it.”

Seungcheol placed his right hand on Jeonghan’s, a practiced move that was not only for fanservice (as much as he hated how it had to be) but also to keep Jeonghan quiet for a moment longer so that he could speak on his behalf. Not that he didn’t trust him to give a calm response. Jeonghan just didn’t have the experience to deal with the initial wave of questions that would be directed at him if the attention was focused on him. 7 years as the general leader taught him more than enough on how to deal with questions.

“Thank you for the compliment. We really appreciate how people are very accepting of our relationship.”

The lady flipped through her cue cards as she continued.

“You guys are the first openly gay couple in the kpop industry. The moment you came out to your fans was simply remarkable.”

“Personally, it was a milestone that we do not regret. I hope our actions can inspire young people to be proud of who they are.”

He heard Mingyu and Chan cheering at his answer from behind, and the interviewer laughed at their antics.

“You two are blazing a bright trail for other LGBT stars out there. This video, for example. I mean, you both are raising the bar every time for other idol couples!”

“We didn’t really…”

“Jeonghan-ssi, how do you find yourselves as role models for the next generation of idols and your fans?”

“Our songs have always taught our fans to love themselves and be proud of who they are. We just want them to be more open minded and accepting of people regardless of their sexuality and to confidently embrace themselves.”

“But do you think your actions are far too intimate? This is not the first time you two have been this intimate on camera. There are many pictures taken of you holding each other at shows and fanmeets. You are idols after all, and you should set an example of how gay idols should behave in front of others.”

Seungcheol could feel the air grow stagnant around him. Jeonghan’s hand was tense and from the corner of his eyes, he could see the fear written across his face. The interviewer took his silence as a chance to continue.

“Frankly, wouldn’t it be better if you were more chaste? Unless it's fanservice of course, then do as the fans like. But you wouldn’t want a bunch of teenager to suddenly think it was okay to be all touchy-feely like that. And your group’s image! You ought to maintain Seventeen’s reputation!”

Seungcheol thought his blood was going to evaporate in anger. How could they say such things to them and not bat an eyelash at their insensitivity? He tried to consider this objectively. Yes, they had essentially made out, tongue and all, in front of everyone on V-live. Yes, they should apologise for the accidental slip-up and laugh it off with their fans, never purposefully bringing it up again. But to question what they are allowed to do as a couple? To see it as inappropriate to kiss each other as guys? They have been together openly for over a year. The very moment they do something couple-like, they are dragged through the mud. Now even the group was brought down with it. 

The leader pressed his lips together and held jeonghan hand tighter. The small nod from him was a sign for him to talk. 

“Madam, while I understand where you are coming from, as the general leader, I have to speak up for my members. What we are doing here is not setting bad examples for our juniors and fans to follow. We simply want to show them what being proud of your identity can be. For the other members, it is embracing their unique talents and going all out to prove their worth in solo projects and collaborations. For Jeonghan and I, it is our relationship and physical intimacy, and I am not sorry for loving him the way I do now. ”

“But…”

“There was a time neither of us wanted to come out. We feared how it will affect our group and our name. The pressure to do things only fans want is a burden that we could no longer bear. You love us for who we are and what we do and not what we pretend to be. It would be wrong for us to only do things fans ask us to do.”

The lady quickly turned her head and mouthed to the cameramen to stop filming, but all the lenses were too focused on a determined Seungcheol and a teary Jeonghan. 

“There is nothing shameful about love. Idols are humans too. We deserve a chance to fall in love and fall out of it, no matter what kind of love. People like you do not have a say in how we live our lives. I’ve been waiting for the day I can walk hand in hand with the one I love freely and this little accident will not stop me.”

Seungcheol grabbed Jeonghan out of his seat and marched out of the filming set. He could hear the members trying to talk to the now furious interviewer, who shouted something he didn’t bother to hear. He raced past the stylists, his managers and even the PD who was trying to get his attention, but Seungcheol could only focus on getting Jeonghan somewhere safe.

They eventually made their way to an empty dressing room down the hall. Seungcheol hurriedly brought him in, locked the door behind them and allowed Jeonghan to cry into his shoulder. The older held him tightly in his arms, patting him gently on the head and whispering soft words of comfort to him. 

Seungcheol felt the singer relax a little in his arms and planted a kiss on his ear. 

He felt so sorry. He couldn’t protect him enough.

~

“WE ARE FIRST ON BILLBOARD CHART!”

Soonyoung’s shouting was slurred by the numerous shots of soju he had downed in the span of an hour. Half of the members could not be bothered to give a verbal reply, opting for a thumbs up or clapping at the drunk choreographer as he made his way around the table. Seokmin and Seungkwan were equally, if not more drunk than Soonyoung, but the muscle ache from their weight training yesterday chained them to their seats so they decided to cheer with him. Jihoon was already passed out on the table, with a jacket covering him as he slept through the ruckus.

Joshua was watching the scene unfold before him. No doubt this was a huge accomplishment for the group, being the second K-pop band to ever achieve that title. Their hard work for the past few months, all the composing and writing Jihoon and Hansol had went though, and dance practices that lasted till the wee hours. Every last pain had been worth it.

While taking another sip of alcohol from his second glass, he found himself laying his eyes on a couple seated quietly in the corner next to a glassy-eyed Mingyu. His blue haired best friend was in a deep sleep, his head resting on one arm and his hair in a messy state from all the dancing with Soonyoung. The blond leader sat next to him, leaning back on the backrest. He was running his finger through the back of the younger’s hair, combing it and occasionally twirling it around his finger. His eyes had not left the sleeping beauty for the past 30 minutes.

_He loves him too much._

Joshua was glad Jeonghan was asleep. The singer had been worried for days since the accident at Dispatch, barely catching a wink of sleep as he scrolled through Twitter, Weverse, and any tabloid news on the case. He had done so much to let the issue die out, but fans just can’t stop spreading and commenting on it - even though most are positive encouragements of their relationship and words of affection, the few crude remarks made his best friend tremble in tears. Seeing him this relaxed after a long time felt like the world had been lifted off him.

His phone then vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw a text sent by Seungcheol.

**Seungcheol LEADER:**

_I will bring Jeonghan back first._

_Can you take care of the kids?_

Joshua looked up from his phone and gave the blond leader a pout.

**Me:**

_Fine._

_But you owe me big time for this_

He watched as Seungcheol meekly shook Jeonghan awake, who groaned as he rubbed his eye and glared at the older. Seungcheol whispered something in his ear and the sleepy idol grinned at his boyfriend. As they stood up to leave, Joshua noticed how Jeonghan had his arms wrapped sloppily around his boyfriend from the back and rested his chin on his shoulder as they walked out quietly, with Seungcheol holding his hands and leading the way. The smiles on both their faces was endearing, to say the least.

Joshua saw the last of their shadows disappear behind the closing doors and sighed. He was glad Jeonghan had Seungcheol with him: It was the leader who hugged him all these nights as he cried at the comments, and held his hand as they faced the press day after day.

Seungcheol was good for him.

~

The resonating cheers of the audience seated out there was deafening. Hansol could hear them shouting clearly through his in-ears. His stylists were running around, rushing to apply touch-ups to his drenched face and changing his attire for the next song. They had around another two minutes to prepare, mic up and get back on stage for their last song: Un Haeng Il Chi, 13 member version.

Hansol loved this song. It was a show of power, a display of how proud they are to have come all this way, through all the hate and obstacles life (cough pledis) threw at them. Every line was written by the combined efforts of the Hip-Hop team, his closest brothers and favourite hyungs, and vividly told the story of 13 boys who grew into unstoppable forces. Back then, many believed they would fail. Now, they are hear in America, singing at the Billboard Music Awards, as a group of 13 rather than four.

Things sure have changed a lot.

“One minute to showtime!”

The director ran around holding up his finger, which the members, still barely any better at their English, immediately understood and started walking to their position. Hansol adjusted his headset mic and followed Minghao to the stairs leading up to the stage.

“We are gonna do great!” He heard Seokmin’s usual bright words.

“YAHA! LET’S GO SEVENTEEN!”

Soonyoung’s exclaim brought everyone into a huddle as they held their fists in a circle and cheered once more. Hansol felt more pats on the back. He heard some of his hyungs shout HWAITING and chatter excitedly with each other. 

Some things in Seventeen never changed, after all.

Hansol looked straight ahead of him as the time slowly ticked by. He could see his oldest hyung adjusting Jeonghan’s blazer, straightening it as the latter nagged at him for reasons he could not tell. The leader then said something to the blue-haired singer, who inched his face closer and replied with a grin. Only then did Seungcheol give him a peck on the nose before moving closer to the front to prepare for his entrance.

Since they became a couple, Hansol always admired their love. They seemed to fit each other so well, and despite the few instances of petty fights and stubbornness, they never seem to leave each other. Like two butterflies dancing together in the warm drafts of spring. That’s how looking at them felt like. A heartfelt romance like no other.

“10! 9! 8!”

Hansol steadied himself.

“7! 6! 5!”

He saw Jeonghan and Seungcheol turn their head to nod at each other.

“4! 3! 2!”

He felt his heart melt at the sight.

“1!”

The backing music of his voice boomed from the speakers and they were up. They waved at the thousands of viewers, whose screams nearly over power the sharp melody of the song. They sang and rapped like never before. All their blood, tears and sweat poured into the lyrics as every member took turns to sing a part.

Then Jeonghan’s part came up.  
“Peel off and spread red pepper paste on them

This one for the fakes, so shut the fuck up

If you agree with me after hearing this, then sing along”

The crowd suddenly screams louder than before.

Hansol looked to his left and saw Seungcheol take big steps towards Jeonghan who had just finished his lines. Bouncing to the intoxicating rhythm, the rapper swung and arm around his boyfriend who hugged him in return. Just like that, they continued to jump around to the beat of the music, enraptured in the hype of the moment. The crowd was most definitely enjoying their little moment, but he was sure that his two hyungs were not bothered by the commotion they had caused, and Hansol laughed at their blatant attempt to ignore their cheers.

This song somehow felt like them. Two strong men who faced adversities, protected each other, and rose up above all. Now at the top, they could show off who they were: their talent in singing, dancing and rapping, their unparalleled achievements and their love. A love that screamed ‘fuck off’ as held each other in this chaotic life.

They were on the top of the world. And they were unstoppable.

**Author's Note:**

> please tell me if you liked this! Also how do you align text to the right side???


End file.
